Withdraw cancellation of RSS-affiliated plots: Govt panel

The Urban Development Ministry has accepted the recommendation of a panel to withdraw the cancellation of 26 prime plots by the UPA government, mostly allotted to organisations affiliated to RSS, and will place it before the Cabinet for approval.

The Urban Development Ministry has accepted the recommendation of a panel to withdraw the cancellation of 26 prime plots by the UPA government, mostly allotted to organisations affiliated to RSS, and will place it before the Cabinet for approval.

The panel, set up by the Modi government to review the cancellation of 29 allotments under UPA 1, has found that 26 cancellations out of the 29 cases were “unjustified”.

“Urban Development Ministry has decided to send the recommendation to the Cabinet for its approval. Once the Cabinet accepts it, the Ministry will put the report before the High Court, where the case is pending in this regard, to revoke these cancellations,” a source said.

Headed by former transport secretary L K Joshi, the panel, however, has endorsed the cancellation in case of three organisations–Asim Sen Spiritual Charitable Society, Sanatan Dharam Sabha and Gujarat Education Society.

The panel, which was set up in December last year, had submitted its report to the Ministry on June 21.

The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had made 32 allotments to socio-cultural and religious organisations between 1998-99 and 2004, of which 22 were RSS-affiliated or backed outfits including Samarth Shiksha Samiti, Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Sewa Bharti and Swadeshi Jagran Foundation.

However, the UPA government cancelled 29 allotments in 2004 on the grounds of violations of norms. The government’s decision was based on the recommendations of one-member inquiry committee headed by retired IAS officer Yogesh Chandra.

With NDA coming to power again in 2014, these organisations had approached the Urban Development Ministry to revoke the decision of the previous dispensation.